Question Summary:
Working in a printing firm

Question Detail:

I am a student in university and doing part time job. I am working in a firm which make parcels for the advertisement pamphlets of the superstores, and sometime these superstores also offers some sale on alcoholic drinks with their other items. My work is just to put these pamphlets on the machine. I want to ask that, earning through this source is halal or  not.

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykumwa-rahmatullāhiwa-barakātuh.
At the outset, we wish to commend you for your consciousness in earning Halaal especially considering the difficult and challenging environment you live in. Earning a Halal income is a fundamental element in the life of a true Muslim.
Rasullullah (SallallahuAlayhiWaSallam) said:
طلب كسب الحلال فريضة بعد الفريضة
“Earning a Halal income is an obligation beyond other obligations”
(Shu’abulIman, Bayhaqi, #8367, 11/175)
With regard to your question, you state that you work in a firm that makes adverts for superstores which sometimes advertise alcohol and other impermissible goods.
As Muslims, we are averse to alcohol, dealing in alcohol and any products that contain alcohol or any impermissible good. Since your job profile entails the direct promotion of alcohol and other impermissible items, such a job is not advisable.[1]
We advise that you request the management of your employer firm to assign you to another suitable department. If they do not agree to your request, you may search for a suitable alternative job. If you do not have any other source of income, you may continue with your current job. Make sincere Tawba and repentance to Allah (SubhanahuWaTa’ala).
Du’aa is the weapon of a believer. Make special Du’aa to Allah (SubhanahuWaTa’ala) to remove you from your current predicament.
Mufti Ismail Desai,                                        
Darul Iftaa
Durban, South Africa
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.